Not a very happy birthday
by FrancescaBoscorelli
Summary: Kono's birthday does not go the way she wants to. Kono centric, McKono hints  lots McKono fluff. I suck at summaries!
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Not a very happy birthday.  
><strong>Pairing<strong>: Steve/Kono, McKono.  
><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: not mine so whatever brah  
><strong>Spoiler<strong>: none.

**A/N**: I thought about this when I saw the new epi, with Steve celebrating his birthday. I thought "well, Kono deserves a celebrating something type of episode" so here it is! My take on how she would celebrate her birthday.

ENJOY!

kuddos to **Martha Smith-Jones** for being my beta. You totally rock!

Fran

* * *

><p>I knew this was would be special from the moment I woke up. The sun was shining so brightly, the waves higher than I've ever seen them, even the air felt different. I could not, even for a second, erase the smile from my face. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction. Even I felt different. Well it is kind of normal when you get one year older, right?<p>

"_Good morning ku`uipo, happy birthday my ray of sunshine"_

I smiled at the sweet message my mother left me on the phone. One of many to come. My mother is usually the first one to greet me on my birthday, even at 8 o'clock she manages to get up and leave something special on my phone. Like many others, obviously.

"_Sup! Happy birthday to my coolest, awesomest best friend ever! I wish I could be there to personally give you a hug, but damn this life of mine right? Don't forget that I adore you and I will see you soon so we can CELEBRATE! Love you, bye. Oh and don't you even dare going to work, enjoy your day HOME,ok? No matter how much you'll miss McGorgeous" _

I've always wondered why Maggie insisted she should stay home, all the time. I have the greatest time working, my job is awesome and so are the people I work with. Besides, she was right about one thing (a very important one), she would miss Steve like crazy.

Steven McGorgeous like she called him.

* * *

><p>When I get to work the first one to greet me with a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek was my cousin. Later Danny catches up with a hug and a kiss too. What I was hoping though, kind of girlish and teenager-ish for me to say it, was the same welcome from Steve. Yeah, I was hoping he would give a kiss on the cheek, or a smile or something remotely similar to…something different. But I didn't, because he wasn't in the HQ when I got there, and when I asked Danny he said he had no idea where he was.<p>

I didn't want to ask any further afraid I might give away how excited I was to see him. Told you I felt like a teenager.

"You should have stayed home," Chin told me as I shake my head "I'm pretty sure the boss would have understood"

"Yeah but no thank you. I like working"

"Spend your birthday at work?" Danny frowned as I shrugged "You're weird, you know that?"

"That I do"

"You should do something special" Chin suggested

"I am doing something special. I am spending my day with the people I love"

"You mean the man you love" Danny spoke, Chin and I snapping our heads towards him.

"What?"

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind."

Chin stares at me, and I look away afraid he might actually see how right Danny is.

"Well, I gotta do something before the boss arrives" I speak, taking my bag from the chair and moving towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Chin asks

"To the bank. I'll be back soon"

"Now that's a perfect way to celebrate your birthday" Danny said "waiting in line forever."

* * *

><p>I hate when Danny is right. Hate it.<p>

The line at the bank was long. Scratch that, it was insanely long. But I'm here already, right? So there was no use to walk away now.

Then, for a fraction of a second, everything turned into slow motion. People were running towards the door, woman grabbing their children and practically pushing everyone who stepped in their way, desperate to get out. I could barely process what was going on, with the yelling around me, but I as turned around I saw the reason for the commotion.

There was a man, wearing a dark sweater and balaclava hat, holding a gun to us. The young woman next to me held my hand tight, her eyes watering with each passing moment.

"Get down on the floor" the man yelled, "You move and I'll shoot you"

We got down, I pulled the young woman with me, she cried and the man walked towards us. Pushing us with his gun, ready to hit.

"Shut her up" he told me and I nodded slowly. Calming the woman as much as I could but at this point nothing worked. She was freaking out. "Shut her up or I'll shoot her!"

The woman stopped crying, she covered her mouth with her hands trying to stop the sobs from coming louder. Tears ran down her cheeks. The room turned silent, people stared at one another while the man walked frantically around the room.

I closed my eyes, cursing the minute I decided to leave the office.

Once again I thought how much I hated Danny for being right.

* * *

><p>Steve walked inside the HQ with fast pace, holding a mediums size velvet box in his hands. Danny and Chin approached him with quick steps, he stopped on his tracks.<p>

"Where have you been?" Danny asked a little bit desperate "I've been calling you none stop"

"Yeah, sorry about that" Steve apologized "What's going on? Where's Kono?"

He looked around the room with no sign of her. Danny and Chin exchanged worried looks and that did not seem unnoticed to Steve.

"What?" he asked again. He had the feeling something was not going right.

"We got a call from the HPD. There's a hostage situation at the bank, an arm robbery."

"What's that had to do with us?" Steve asked.

"Kono is one of the hostages" Chin explained.

Steve's heart stopped. He holds the box in his hands tight, his knuckles turning white. He had plans for today; he wanted to do something special for her just because this was her day. Now things went on a different track, not precisely the way he wanted.

**TBC**

**like it? hate it? looove it? LET ME KNOW! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Sup? I'm back! *waves* 'Key, sorry it took me so long to update but I'm back so yay! First of all, thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites. I love you all so much. Second, I have no idea how a hostage situation works, this is my first attempt on writing a story like this SO please bare with me.**

**Thanks for reading and do not forget to review!**

** Fran**

* * *

><p>I look around me and all I see are people sitting next to each other, holding strangers' hands looking for comfort. I stay beside the young woman, who still sobs uncontrollably. I squeeze her hand, kind of showing her she was not alone in this, we were all together. She smiled gratefully.<p>

The masked man paced around the room, watching each and everyone on us. He seemed nervous and unsure of what to do next; he wasn't a professional at this, that was certain.

The girl next to me sobbed loudly, the man turning around at the sound of it, pointing his gun towards us. She held onto me tightly as he approached us, her body shaking uncontrollably.

"Make her stop," he yelled, his gun pointing at her chest.

"She won't stop crying unless you stop yelling," I snap back. He slaps me hard in the face; I could taste the blood in my mouth and feel it running down my lip.

"Shut her up or I will with a bullet in her head!" The man snapped at us, I wiped the blood off my mouth, my anger growing all of a sudden inside my chest but I knew if I exploded there was no telling what this man would do.

* * *

><p>Steve desperately trying to get to the crime scene in time was making Danny and Chin nervous. They were both worried about Kono, but Steve was going mad, the steering wheel held tight beneath his hands. They had no idea how many driving laws he had broken but were sure there were many. Needless to say, they got to the bank in a record time.<p>

Steve jumped out of the car; made his way toward the HPD surrounding the bank. He waited for instructions, information or anything that could tell him if Kono was in danger or not.

"Commander McGarrett," a man in a suit spoke, greeting Steve with a handshake. "Captain Garcia."

"What's the situation?" Steve asked.

"We got a gun man and at least ten hostages," Captain Garcia said, "according to some witnesses."

"Do we know what he's asking for?" Danny asked and the man before him shook his head.

"We haven't seen him; he hasn't come out just yet. We're waiting for him to make a move."

"A move? Meaning you're waiting for him to shoot somebody?" Steve asked angrily. Danny touched his friend's arms slightly, calling his attention, mainly to make calm him down notice the anger in his voice.

"I'm sure that's not what he meant," Chin interfered.

"Are you aware I've got one of my team in there?" Steve told Garcia, and he frowned shaking his head in the process.

"I had no idea, Commander."

"Well, you do now."

"I want to assure you we're studying the situation right now…"

"You better be."

He walks away to the other side of the street, pacing for a minute and taking deep breaths. Danny understood; he was nervous about Kono, he was desperate to know if the situation inside had been under control or was being controlled. If he hadn't already walked in with a gun in his hand it's because he was using all his self-control.

* * *

><p>"What are they doing here?" the masked man asked. I turned around and saw outside; cops were everywhere, patrol cars surrounding the building. The man had reason to freak out, he was trapped.<p>

"They want to know what you want," I speak, he snaps his head towards me and takes hard steps to where I was sitting.

"Who called them?" he asked me, as if I had the answers within me.

"Anyone could have done that. In case you haven't noticed you did walk in with a gun inside a very crowded bank."

He looks positively nervous. He began pacing again, just like he did before. He shook his head repeatedly and talked to himself a little. This was definitely not the way he planned things to go, he wasn't a pro and it was showing.

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" I dare to say to him.

"Shut up," he snaps.

"You're freaking out because this is getting out of hand, because you have no idea what to do next," I know it was a dumb move, getting into his head like this, but I was so angry for being here I could no longer control the words coming out of my mouth.

"I said SHUT UP!" he hit me one more time, blocking my vision for a tiny little second, the room spinning before me. The girl next to me holds me, because the hit caused me to hit the floor slightly. She holds my hand like I did with her, I smile gratefully.

"They don't know what you want," I whisper, the man looks at me again. "They won't go away unless you tell them..."

He watches me and for a minute I fear I've spoken too much. I feel the tension in the air, as if the time has literally frozen. He pulls me up, drags me towards the door as people behind me scream in desperation. I turn around slightly, the girl who sat next to me cries desperately. My heart breaks at how scared she was.

We stand in front of the glass doors. Cops outside were alert at the movement inside the bank, they move together, holding their guns, prepared to shoot whenever necessary. The man squeezes my arm tightly, his face so close to my face I can feel his breath crashing against my skin.

"I won't say a word," he whispers. "You will."

He opens the door, pushing us through it. The sound of the guns pointing at us and cops holding positions fills the air immediately. The man held his gun close to my chest, grabs me by the neck, our bodies close together.

"Be smart" he whispers. "One wrong word and you're dead, got that?"

"Yes…"

I take a look around me; the panicked look on a few cops' faces did not make me feel better at all. Instead of feeling secure and safe, I felt scared and desperate.

The man whispers the words I am supposed to repeat in my ear. And I follow the instructions by the book.

"A car. Tank full. In two hours…" I speak loudly. "Wrong move and a hostage will die."

The last words hang in the air. My heart was beating faster inside my chest; if this situation had been different this man would have been eating dirt right now. But I was scared for the people inside if something went wrong, I couldn't let my actions jeopardize other people's lives.

"You heard her," the masked man yells. "Two hours or I'll kill her."

This was definitely not the way I thought my birthday would go.

**TBC**

**hate it? love it? let me know! **


	3. Chapter 3

**You guise are so nice to me, I swear. Thank you for every single review, it means the WORLD to me.I love you all so freaking much! **

**First sort of case related fic so yay!**

**Love you all**

**Fran**

**ps: I recently created a A03 account, in case you're interested, my username is CamelotLady. **

* * *

><p>He pushed me inside, just where I was sitting before he brought me outside. I thought the main reason why he had done this was the money but now I realize he had other plans too.<p>

"Happy birthday to me…" I whisper, the feelings of regret still hanging inside.

"Today is your birthday?" the girl next to me whispers, trying to drag the masked man's attention.

"Yeah…"

"Happy birthday," she speaks, smiling sweetly at me. "Sorry it has to be this way."

"Me too, thank you."

The man begins pacing around again, the gun held tightly in his hand. He was looking out every second, making sure his instructions were being followed. He frowned at the situation outside, if he was waiting for the car to be outside just now, then he had been terribly wrong.

"What's your name?" the girl asked.

"Kono. Yours?"

"Allison."

"Nice to meet you, Allison."

"Likewise."

The man faces us and we go quiet quickly. He focuses his attention outside one more time.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Allison speaks, a tear rolling down her cheek again. "I told my mom we should wait because the bank was too crowded, we should stop by tomorrow. But she insisted… I should have said no."

She cries again, covering her mouth with her hand, afraid the man might snap at her and do something horrible. I hold her, trying to give her as much comfort as I possibly can. She looked so young, so full of life. She should be outside, walking around the island with her family and friends instead of being locked inside here, with a psycho pointing a gun to us whenever he wanted to.

"We're gonna get through this," I reassure her. "The cops know how to handle this type of situation, we're gonna be fine. I promise."

"I don't want to die," she whispers and I hug her tightly, making soft comforting circles on her back.

"You won't. I promise."

* * *

><p>Steve watched the man pulling Kono inside the building and his heart beat fast inside his chest, anger growing with each passing minute. He wanted to get inside so badly, shoot the guy and end this whole damn thing. But he couldn't. This was his emotions getting the best of him; his feelings were controlling his head and heart.<p>

"We have to give him what he wants," Steve spoke, turning around to face Captain Garcia.

"Let's think about this for a minute, Commander," the man spoke and Steve frowned at his words.

"Think about what? Let's give him what he needs so we can end this situation, in a good way."

"You know better than I do that this is not the way it works," he spoke. "We need to know the motives, know if we could get the hostages out before this gets out of hand."

"Really? What if he finds out Kono is a cop?" Steve asks, Garcia and Danny exchanged looks. "Would that be enough reason for you to give him what he demands?"

Garcia looked at him, staring at his feet and already knowing if the man ever finds out Kono was a cop, things for them would be hard.

* * *

><p>The air inside was getting hard to breathe. Most of the people around me were lying on the floor, exhaustion taking over their bodies. The heat was taking its toll on me too, sweat was dripping down my forehead and the lack of oxygen was getting me dizzy. It took all the strength I had not to pass out.<p>

I look at the masked man before me, he had stopped pacing to catch his breath, the hat and hood he was wearing turning into nothing more than an obstacle.

"You should take it off," I speak to him. He glares. "There's no point in hiding your face, besides if the cops don't kill you, the heat surely will."

He seemed to be thinking about it hard, knowing I was right. He took the hat off slowly, revealing his face finally. I steal a glance at the situation outside, making sure the officers had a nice view of his face. It came unnoticed to him, clearly, for his face showed nothing more than relief.

"Told you it would make you feel better."

He didn't look more than 30. Dark hair, bright blue eyes. He did not look like the type of man who would randomly kidnap someone; he had a tired look in his eyes, as if he had the weight of the world on your shoulders.

"What's your name?" I asked all of a sudden, the man frowned at my question.

"Don't do that," he said. "Don't try to create a bond with me, getting to know me so I could let you all go. It will not work."

"I'm no trying to do anything. I just want to know your name."

"Call me whatever you want, alright? If that makes you happy," he combs his wet hair backwards with his hand, closing his eyes for a brief second and sighing heavily. He was tired, as much as we were.

"How about David… I like that name."

"Paul," he speaks, his eyes fixed on mine. "My name is Paul."

* * *

><p>"Paul Kincaid," Garcia spoke, dropping a manila folder on the hood of a police car. Steve grabbed it, read all he could about the man. "He was fired two weeks ago from an insurance company."<p>

"Why?" Danny asked, peeking over Steve's shoulder to read along with him.

"Boss said he skipped work constantly, barely keep track of his reports, and he had to let him go."

"Any leads on why would he skipped work so much?"

"Has a sick kid with leukemia. Has been being dragged on and off from the ER."

"Well, if his kid is being sick, I imagine the hospital bills are not exactly friendly," Danny stated.

"Gives him enough reason to do this," Steve said, closing the folder in his hand.

**TBC.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for all the reviews! I love you all so freaking muuuch! **

**Here's sort of like a brief explanation as why Paul is doing all of this. Also, I'm not very good when it comes to character names, Paul's name came to my mind because my brother's name is Paul (Pablo) AND Kincaid is the last name of my favorite character from one of my favorite books "Capitol Conspiracy" by William Bernhardt.**

**Off to read now my lovelies. Don't forget to review!**

**Fran**

* * *

><p>"Why are you doing this, Paul?" I dare to speak to him one more time, trying to find myself something to focus on as a headache was starting to show up.<p>

"That's none of your business," he spoke harshly, tightening the hold on his gun.

"It kind of is since you dragged all of us into this," I stated angrily. "What was it then? Gambling? Owe your buddies some cash? Got a drug problem?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about, kid."

"Enlighten me, then. Explain to me why you dragged us into this mess."

"I have a kid!" he yells, taking quick steps towards me. I instinctively move back, my body hitting the wall behind me. "I have a family to take care of. He's sick and nobody wants to help. Nobody."

He paces around the room with desperation, kicking everything that stands in his way. I have found his reason, his motive for doing this. He was just trying to help his son, trying to be a good parent and still the situation did not get any better and he was angry.

"I've talked to everyone," he continued, speaking fast and pacing at the same time. "Everyone. And they turned their backs on me. My boy was getting sicker by the minute, I had to send him to the hospital; he had been there for months now. They said if I don't pay the hospital bills they would stop his treatment. How can they do that? He's just a kid…"

"So you decided to rob this bank, take the money and pay them off…" I speak and he nods but never stops pacing. It was like he had gone mental, moving his hands frantically as he spoke.

"I had to do something. I can't let my boy die. I'm his father, I have to take care of him…" he spoke again, "Nobody wants to help!"

Suddenly he goes ballistic. He kicks, stomps and throws everything in his path. Some of the women sobbed, scared at the man's reaction, others covered their faces with their hands to suppress the sobs. He grabbed my purse, which lay across the room, and I froze.

There's a loud metallic thud. The room goes silent as the man grabs the shiny object from the floor. He turns around, faces the group of people before him and holds the badge in front of him.

"Whose is this?" he asks. Several heads bow, silent. "WHOSE IS?" he yells louder. I raise my head, glancing at the man.

"It's mine."

"You're a cop?" he demands, his face comes closer to mine. His blue eyes intimidate me; I feel my legs go weak for the first time in hours.

"Yes."

"You failed to mention that before."

"You never asked."

He slaps me, his hand hitting my face hard. His punch throws me backwards a little bit; I hold myself together as much as I can but this hit was harder than the last one.

"You said something to your friends out there?" he asked.

"No."

"Gave them any signs as how to come in and when to kill me?"

"I told you I didn't say a word, you were with me the whole time."

"Liar. You are lying!" he spoke angrily. I was waiting for another hit but he stopped dead in his tracks. "No…"

"What?"

"You're prefect. This is perfect," He smiled, a plan clearly forming inside his twisted head.

"What are you gonna do?" I ask, already afraid of his answer.

"Get up," he speaks to the rest of the hostages. "Get up now!"

"Hey, what are you gonna do?" I ask once again as I stand between him and Allison, the young woman grabbing my arm tight. "Paul, don't do anything stupid."

"Shut up," he speaks to me, pushing me away in one quick motion. "All of you, come with me."

Allison manages to grab my arm again, her eyes begging for me to do something, scared of Paul's reaction. I feel unable to do say anything, I had no idea what Paul had in mind at all. He turns around, pulls Allison away from me as she screams. He hits her, just like he did with me and she cries uncontrollably.

They walk towards the door. He stands in the middle, pulling Allison with him as she tries hard to let go. The doors open and he motions them to walk out. Each of them step out of the building, cops pulling them out quickly. I watch him as he raises his gun to Allison's face, she trembles, cries and fights with him. He stands there, frozen, smile on his face. Allison keeps fighting nonstop but he refuses to let her go.

"Change of plans," he speaks "I'm keeping the cop with me. You have 45 minutes to give me what I want or she dies."

He lets Allison go and she runs towards a cop. Paul rushes in, stares at me with mad looking face. I shivered wondering what plans he had in mind.

* * *

><p>Steve rushed towards the hostages as they were being released. He watches from the sea of faces for any sign of Kono but she's nowhere to be found. Then the man held a teenager in his hand, she struggled constantly, cried as he squeezed her arm. He spoke about his change of plans and that's when Steve's desperation begun to grow again. He feared for Kono's life.<p>

Danny approached him, looking at his friend's face.

"We have to give him the car now before he does something to her, Danny," Steve spoke with so much emotion it was impossible for Danny not to feel bad for him. He was pretty sure if something happened to Kono he would never forgive himself.

"_He said he has a kid who's sick…"_

They both turned around as the girl behind them spoke. She was the girl being dragged; she was still shaking but looked slightly calmer than before. Steve approached her, trying to gather as much information as he could.

"…and the hospital did not want to treat him because he hadn't paid the remaining bills. He said nobody helped him, he had no other choice but doing this."

"Did he hurt anybody?" Danny asked.

"Yes. There was this girl, Kono. She confronted him a few times and he hit her twice."

Danny watched Steve, ready to stand between him and the door if he ever decided to walk in and kill the guy himself.

"He freaked out and kicked her bag and her badge fell out. That's how he knew she was a cop."

"Did he say anything else while being inside?" Danny asked her again.

"No, he just said he wanted to help his kid," Allison's eyes shone with tears, she wiped her cheeks as she cried "He's not going to hurt her, right? You won't let it happen…"

"Don't worry, I'm gonna save her," Steve spoke and Danny was more than sure he was being completely honest.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**It took me longer than I thought to write this chapter, dunno why. Maybe is because this is basically the first time I write something like this, more case-centric less fluffy. Anyways, thank you for reading and reviewing! I love you all so very much.**

**Fran.**

* * *

><p>"They won't help you out," I speak to him. His frantic pacing began once again; he had become desperate with each passing minute, and so was I, to be honest.<p>

"Of course they will," he spoke very sure of himself. "If they think I will hurt you, they can't afford to lose a friend."

"You won't do that," it was my time to be sure. "You're doing this for your kid; you don't want to spend the rest of your life in jail for shooting a cop."

"My son will understand…"

"Will he? His father becoming a murderer and a kidnapper, no kid wants that."

"He will know I'm doing this for him. To save his life."

"There are other ways, Paul. You should have asked for help to the right people…"

He seemed to be considering my words carefully. Then he looked at his watch, becoming impatient once again. He looked outside the window, tapping his foot against the floor eagerly. This level of impatience meant he could lose control in any minute.

"I know you're as desperate as I am to get out of this," I speak to him, once again trying to get some sense into his crazy head. "You could let me go, save yourself from even more prison time."

"Get that thought out of your head," he spoke, not facing me. "You're my ticket to get what I want. And right now I want to take my money and get to the hospital in time to save my kid."

'And all I want to do is get out of here and hug Steve with all I have.' I think, getting nostalgic all of a sudden.

* * *

><p>"We did it your way, right?" Steve stated to Garcia, looking desperate at how much time they were wasting. "Now get the man what he's asking for so he can let Kono out."<p>

"Commander…"

"Don't give me the 'follow the book' crap one more time," Steve spoke. "That's my girl in there, being held hostage on her birthday while you sit on your ass trying to figure out how to solve this shit. Give him that forsaken car now!"

"C'mon Steve, calm down," Danny pushed his friend away, but he released his hold harshly.

"If he hurts Kono, again, I swear to God I'm gonna hunt you down Garcia and pray to God I don't catch you."

"Steve, that's enough!" Danny yelled "If we're gonna get Kono out, safe and sound, we have to clear our heads."

"We will get her out," Garcia spoke looking to both Danny and Steve.

Chin approached them slowly, holding a set of car keys in his hand.

"I spoke to the chief of staff at the emergency room, explained the situation and they're waiting for him. We're gonna follow close by and take him down."

"I'll give them the keys," Steve said. He was about to take the keys when Allison stepped in front of him.

"I'll do it," she spoke. The team exchanged looks. "She saved my life, the least I can do is save hers."

"You sure about this?" Steve asked her, she nodded. "Alright then, it's settled. Get her ready."

* * *

><p>I rest my eyes for a minute, my head drooping from exhaustion. Paul was still standing like a statue in front of the glass doors, looking at his watch every now and then. The 45 minutes were long gone, he was just giving them more time for God knows why.<p>

Just when I'm about to give up, there's a knock on the door. Allison is standing there, alone, holding what looks like a set of keys in her hand.

This was finally going to be over.

Paul pulled me up from the floor, his hand tightly around my arm. He dragged me out, taking Allison's keys from her hand. He held me like he did before, his arm around my neck almost suffocating me. I see Steve, Danny and Chin among the sea of faces, my tears water as I see Danny holding Steve's arm, stopping him from taking another step. I've never been so desperate to hold him.

"You got what you want," I hear Steve yell from among the crowd. Paul stops dead in his tracks, glancing in Steve's direction. "Let her go."

"And let you take this opportunity to kill me?" Paul spoke, shaking his head with every word. "No way. She's coming with me."

He pulls me in the opposite direction, presses the car keys in his hands until he finds the beeping sound of the alarm. I take one more glance at Steve, who looks even more desperate than I was. I let the tears run freely now, there's no point in playing strong when I felt terrible inside.

They watch them leave, Steve tapping his foot against the asphalt as Paul drives away. Once he had vanished the team runs to their cars. Cops doing the same, patrol cars driving fast across the road.

Steve's desperate driving begins again. Danny holds tight into his seat, Chin watches as Steve makes fast turns and avoids every car in his way, just like earlier he breaks a huge amount of driving rules, this time he's being slightly careful though. If Paul ever saw them, Kono could be dead in a matter of seconds. Just thinking about it made his heart beat faster for the tenth time in less than four hours.

They stayed aside, watching as Paul's car pulled just outside the hospital. They saw as Kono walked out as well, Paul holding her hand and she playing along with it. Steve took his gun out of the holder, squeezing it tight between his hands, he was desperate to take him down, grab Kono and run. He knew that was not the best choice though, if Paul ever saw them even for a second all Hell would break loose.

The plan was working like they thought it would Paul talked to a middle age woman and gave her a brown bag. She checked the contents, exchanged a few words and then proceeded to shake his hand.

That was the signal. All they needed for this to be over.

Cops ran everywhere; people screamed, cried and ran. Steve made his way towards the ER, Danny following close behind and so was Chin. Paul was trapped, he had nowhere to go. They dragged him out, cops handcuffing him quickly and pulling him out of everyone's sight. They breathed with relieve as Kono pushed herself away from the man, watching him disappear inside a patrol car.

She hugged Chin, her cousin making sure she wasn't hurt at all, Steve watched from afar not wanting to interfere in a family moment thought he was anxious to hug her too. She stepped away from Chin, took a few steps to where he was and he couldn't help it any longer, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards his chest. She breathed in his scent, sighing heavily. She was saved, everything was over. She was finally home.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**My beta was super quick and made of awesome, so I bring to you the last chapter. **

**Thank you for every single review you guys left me, it makes me smile and go "yay!". Thank you thank you thank you.**

**Fran**

* * *

><p>"Is this really necessary?" I ask the paramedic in front of me. I only had a few cuts; being treated in an ambulance while TV cameras surrounded me was definitely too much.<p>

"It's procedure, Ma'am," she smiles sweetly at me, taking care of the small cut on my lower lip from when Paul had hit me. "Your boyfriend is practically freaking out."

"My what?"

"Your boyfriend," She motions to her right, where Steve was talking to an officer and stealing glances at me. I could tell he was not paying attention at whatever the man was explaining to him, he nodded his head a few times and shrugged. "He looks worried."

I could have told her right there he was definitely not my boyfriend, not that I didn't want him to be, but she was right about him being worried and all. I could not explain to her that he was my boss, I'm pretty sure no boss would look like that at his subordinate being hurt. Right?

"It's natural though," she continues, "after all you've been through. I'm pretty sure all he wants to do now is take you in his arms and kiss you."

I blush furiously. Was she reading my mind now?

"Me too…" I find myself whispering, watching him still talking to the officer. Our looks cross and his gaze his fixed on me. Then he smiles at me and I feel my heart starting to beat faster inside my chest, the memory of his arms wrapped around my waist just moments ago still vivid inside my brain. If I could just feel that again…

"All done," the woman speaks and I snap my head towards her. "You can go now."

"Thank you…"

Steve walks towards me the moment the ambulance doors close behind me; he's standing beside me in an instant, followed by Chin and Danny, the worried look still plastered on their faces.

"Ready to leave this whole thing?" Chin asks and I nod vigorously.

"Yes, please."

Chin wraps an arm around my shoulder, squeezing me closer.

"Happy birthday, cousin," he speaks, giving me a light kiss on the cheek. "Please listen to me next time I tell you to go home."

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

><p>Danny kisses my forehead as he says goodbye, he gives me a tight hug before moving towards the glass doors. I was so close to getting emotional already, given the crazy day I just had. I'm glad to be home, glad to be safe and now this day that was supposed to be special was about to be over.<p>

"Ready to go home?" Steve asks from the doorway and I nod slowly.

"Yeah, I'm beat."

"That tends to happen when you've been kidnapped by a psycho."

"I will remember that for next time."

The room goes silent, Steve tenses in his position against the doorway and I just know I shouldn't have opened my mouth in the first place.

"I shouldn't have said that…"

"It's alright," he whispers, "I'm glad you're safe, really. I mean why wouldn't I be, right?"

He drags himself out of his position against the door, walking slowly towards me. My heart goes crazy inside my chest, I freeze on my spot. His body is so close to mine, like there's literally almost zero space between us. He removes a rebel hair from my face, his fingers brush against my cheek and I catch my breath at the intimacy of this moment. Then he breaks apart, slowly and reluctantly, takes a medium size velvet box out his pocket and holds it between his hands.

"I wasn't here when you arrived," he whispered, "and I felt sad because I was dying to give you your birthday present."

"Steve, you didn't have to."

"Of course I did. You deserve it, besides it's probably not a big deal anyways…"

He puts the box in my hands and I open it slowly. He watches me in silence, waiting for my reaction. I catch my breath once again at the content; inside there was a beautiful silver bracelet with a heart shaped locket. It was soft, feminine and perfect. My heart melted at the gesture.

"Steve, this is beautiful," my eyes water, and I just cannot contain the emotions any longer. A tear runs down my cheek slowly, Steve wipes it off with his hand in a sweet and loving gesture. "Thank you… for everything."

"You have nothing to thank me for."

"I love this," I say, the moment passing and the tears subsiding. "This is the most beautiful bracelet I've ever seen."

"It was my mother's."

I snap my attention towards him, I watch him with a shocked expression.

"Oh Steve, I can't take this…"

"What? Or course you can," he shakes his head, holding the bracelet firmly on my hand. "My mother told to give it to someone special and loved. I want you to have it."

'Did he just say love?'

"Did you just say love?" I ask aloud. He looks embarrassed; clearly he hadn't realized what he had just said.

"I… no… I mean yes… I… love you.."

I tiptoe towards him and peck him on the lips, caught him off guard at my sudden reaction. I'm so tired of waiting; tired of pretending I feel nothing when I do, when he drives me crazy by just waving at me or looking at me. I have lots of things to regret, one of them is not telling Steve how I feel sooner. I'm not about to waste my opportunity after being almost close to death.

"Good," I speak while wrapping my arms around his neck, moving impossibly closer to him "'cause you know? I sort of love you too."

"Really? I had no idea." He speaks, he too wrapping his arms but around my waist.

"Now you know then"

"This means we have a lot to catch up with."

"Basically yes."

"My couch is pretty comfortable."

"Home, Steve. Take me home."

"As you wish."

He kisses me, sweet and passionate and perfect. His lips warm against mine, we break apart, barely just because at some point air became necessary. I smile against his lips.

"Happy birthday, Kono."

Indeed this was beginning to be the birthday I was praying for.

**THE END.!**


End file.
